Suits to lower expectations and pressure by convincing everyone that we are skint and can't afford to sign anyone/sack a failing manager so might as well cart on with what we have and hope for the best.

Yes I saw the finances. Entirely predictable - will be similar every year we are in this league. I suspect none of the figures were surprising for the money men at the club. Mowbray has exhausted his funds and arguably doesn't deserve any more money.

Who has said we are cutting the budget? Looking overseas for players with the 'new scouting network' is another disappointment of Mowbray's management. It just hasn't happened with any noticeable benefit to the squad. You want to operate to a budget fine, McCarthy is one of the best at it.

The process for Rovers is to sit around and wait and see who applies for the job, or alternatively go through lists put forward by popular agents, ex-players or people from the local area and decide on the basis of who is going to be cheapest or most grateful for the opportunity. Completely the wrong way to go about appointing a manager. You have to either pay the bucks to get a top proven manager, or if you can't and have limited cash, then you have to go out and headhunt the right man. Barnsley spent ages looking for their new manager, unearthed him from relative obscurity yet appears to be doing well. Same goes for Wagner, Farke, Cowley. You have to be proactive - sell the club - have a vision and get the man to fit that rather than sit waiting for applications to come in and then draw one out of the hat. I've said this before but I would be opening negotiations with Mick McCarthy and Terry Connor to come in after the Euros this summer. Until then either leave Mowbray in place or appoint a caretaker.

It was always going to be the case that Raya went on to be a good keeper. When Brentford, with their spending levels and track record of player development, come along and offer millions for our keeper you can be sure that they know their stuff. The fact that we sold him for millions, attempted to blame him for our awful defensive record, replaced him with an inferior loan signing and are now expected to accept that there's no money for signings I think is a disgrace and a dereliction of duty.

This has been coming. When we consider Mowbray's transfer business it has been almost entirely either temporary loans or when money has been spent it has been with a view to resale in the near future. They did the same when Bowyer was manager. Gave it a couple of seasons and then cut it down and cleared the assets for cash. That's why talk of a multiyear build wasnt going to be sustainable, because barring an unlikely promotion it was always going to see Venkys cash in on their chips. It's what they do. They dont want to invest and have only.been persuaded to do so on the basis they can get it back soon after. I dont accept that it is essential to do this. I look around the division and plenty of clubs dont adopt this approach.

Waggott will back down. He will panic by Monday if sales haven't gone well. Likewise plenty of these Preston lot who only go to one away game a year will relent and buy where they are told. Still expect 4000+ easy but it will be another opportunity missed for Waggott who will have had this down since the summer as a 7500 job. As ever with this lot the family day out novelty of going to Ewood wears off after 2-3 visits.

Patrick Roberts joined Middlesbrough on loan. Good signing for them.

If the price is the same in both tiers I don't get what the problem is. Just wait until the top is sold out and then buy, or buy now, return them and buy in the lower when they reach that stage. If we were doing what Bolton used to do which is charging more upstairs than downstairs I can understand some groans but again just do the above. Incidentally I am going to be complaining to Rovers/Forest about yesterday's ticket fiasco. Paid a higher price to sit in better seats as per the blocks advertised online only to discover from the stewards that it was a complete free for all on the day.

Gladwin gone following the expiry of a contract Rovers never announced he had signed.

Absolutely it is down to those in India. We've got billionaire owners who control a portfolio of many companies in many countries and beyond that must have daily dealings and good relationships with countless wealthy and powerful businesses and other millionaires/billionaires. Would it really be asking a lot for Balaji to have a word with one of his rich mates to buy some advertising boards or similar? Seems perfectly reasonable to me. The endgame is avoiding FFP. In near 10 years of their ownership we haven't had a single shirt sponsor, advertising board, tie in, from any Indian companies.

Mowbray appears to have set the target at 70 points for the season. Where he's plucked that figure from I'm not sure, but I think if we got that it would be a decent points return, albeit likely to be short of the play-offs and therefore pretty irrelevant as far as our future in this division is concerned (no serious difference in this League between 7th and 17th). Having set the target short of promotion at 70 points what then is the next stage in the plan? The scheme to sell Dack either in January or the summer to win friends in India and balance the books but then what? A big gaping hole to fill and presumably only a fraction of the Dack cash to reinvest in multiple areas with a manager who has an appalling record in that area. The next 4-5 months are important. We are reaching the end of Mowbray's schedule which he repeatedly broadcast following promotion of needing several windows to get us to where we need to be. Well we are now into window 4 since promotion and surprise surprise the goalposts are being moved. No money in the kitty and FFP being pushed around into the fanbase collective mindset as an excuse. Hang on a minute, I thought the whole idea with the gradual slow build policy and sensible wages etc. was to ensure there was no risk of FFP sanctions whilst slowly growing a strong squad, yet here we sit with no keeper, few defenders and problems in attack. The next question is whether this is acceptable and whether there's any point in persisting with it for another 12-24 months or to try something different. Perhaps a manager who aims for promotion rather than 70 points. Perhaps the owners will ask why he pushed the slow build project rather than accepted their big money offer (if that ever actually happened).

I asked Waggott at the Shareholders meeting in September about what, if any, attempts were being made to circumvent the rules by bringing in sponsorship from some of the owners many companies or the hundreds of large businesses that they must have dealings with in Asia. QPR, Cardiff, Fulham have all done deals e.g. with Visit Florida or Visit Malaysia or airlines linked to their owners. Alternatively sponsor the training ground like Birmingham owners. I didn't get a coherent answer from him, except to say that it was something that they were 'looking into'. It's what, 5 years since Ffp was introduced? They simply don't want to. Don't fall for it. They haven't the interest to try and beat the system or find ways of improving our prospects. No wonder then why the place is in such a state.

We need a goalkeeper. The current one isn't good enough and isn't ours (thankfully, though it wouldnt surprise me if there was some sort of agreement to make it permanent). Either in January or the summer we are going to need to sign at least one keeper. Why not do it now? Why wait 6 months? It sums up what a mess our recruitment has been that we don't have our own competent keeper yet there appears to be no budget nor rush to get one. Where has the Raya money gone?

If it was so important to grow income and revenues I would expect to see the club go out and headhunt a proven successful individual from elsewhere in the industry. The fact we are advertising for the role suggests we will react to those who apply rather than proactively go out and recruit a leading figure and pay him/her top dollar to deliver results. Let's be realistic. At no stage during Venky ownership have we had an executive structure worthy of a club of this size and stature. Why did the last commercial manager leave? Why have we not had a commercial director since Dave Biggar went off to America having landed the lucrative sponsorship deal with Dafabet? Even when we've had people like Waggott and Shaw they have ended up in the job through being mates with the right people and havent really had any power. What freedom will the new commercial person have to revitalise that department of the club? Very little would be my prediction. The owners have shown no desire nor interest to employ the right calibre of people to run the club on the lines required to make a big difference. Shame but that's their decision. A bit like they've never invested sufficiently in the playing or coaching staff to propel us into serious contention. Up to them.

How many times have we seen this. For some reason we start most games brightly for the first 10-15 minutes and often catch the opposition out. Bristol, Swansea, Huddersfield, Preston, West Brom, Stoke, Reading away - we go ahead in the first 10-15 minutes. At Ewood we usually have a bright first 10-15 minutes but rapidly regress into insipid dreadful football for the next 30. On the occasions we do get ahead we often immediately sit back and change our approach to the game. This gives the opposition time and opportunity to fire back quickly - WBA, Swansea, Huddersfield we concede soon after going ahead. QPR away concede soon after scoring. Home games v Birmingham and Forest almost immediately conspire to allow them straight back in. Despite Bristol being a good win they had numerous good chances after we had scored to get back level. We can't cope when we have a lead to protect. Heads go. It's a very serious problem that goes back to last season which Mowbray has been unable to address. It isnt down to personnel. It is mindset, fitness, game management. I'm bored of watching it. Very predictable.

Mowbray will go and try to get a draw and will be delighted if we do get that. That actually wouldnt bother me if he could set the team up to go away from home, defend as a unit and absorb pressure but I can count on one hand the number of times we have managed to do that. We are playing the mighty juggernaut Forest and should be excited to be able to play them and 'test ourselves' against such a great side - that will be the attitude. Expect minimum 4 changes, probably more. Can't be bothered trying to guess what he will do next. Dack's injury and other unavailability looks to have sent Mowbray into a tailspin of chopping and changing. Try to second guess him at your peril.

Interesting. His record at Sunderland was almost identical to that of his successor Chris Coleman, yet I recall you suggesting him as an option not long ago.

Every club in this League has FFP on the horizon to contend with. This season Cardiff, Swansea, Reading, Millwall, QPR, West Brom, Birmingham, Barnsley, Hull, Middlesbrough, Sheffield Wednesday and Stoke have all made managerial changes. Other than Middlesbrough all have either stayed consistent with last season or improved following their change. Middlesbrough are climbing rapidly and aren't far behind us. Prior to inexplicably appointing Coyle we had Lambert and Irvine coming down from the Premier League and Neil Warnock wanting the job. The decision to give the job to Coyle wasnt because nobody decent wanted to come here. We are an attractive club in a very popular league. Only recently world known managers like Bilic and Bielsa have moved to Championship clubs. There are many options open to ambitious clubs.

I'm bored with all this stuff. We had similar last season with a player (can't remember who it was just now) being 'punished' or 'taught a lesson' by Mowbray for off the pitch actions. I fear Mowbray puts way too much time and energy into thinking about off the pitch stuff and into maintaining his happy campers regime rather than just focusing on who is doing the business during games and on the training ground. I've seen Chapman for the u23s numerous times this season and can safely say his performances havent warranted a place in the first team. Having said that with Dack out and seemingly no more money to spend Mowbray is going to have to get more from HIS signings like Chapman, Brereton, Gallagher, Holtby. I have to say I've been disappointed with Holtby's contributions to games so far. Expected more and don't see where the hype is justified.

Dack can forget about a higher club coming in now until summer 2021. January 2021 will be too early. Rovers have a decision to make. Do we try and get him tied down to a new deal now despite everything being up in the air with his injury? Or do we leave things as they are until he is back in training knowing by then he will be free to talk to other clubs? Are we comfortable going through the lengthy rehab process for another 12-18 months and then waving him off on a free transfer at the end of it? Difficult position all round. But one that was always a possibility in football.

I remember Huddersfield setting a League record for unbeaten games in League One not long ago with 40 odd unbeaten. They failed to get promoted. I'm all for taking positives and not losing games but we'd have been better beating Wigan and losing yesterday than drawing both and remaining unbeaten.

3 wins at home all season and 6 defeats. Another good opportunity if we get ourselves sorted. I expect a defeat. Two very poor displays at home, players celebrating not losing and a manager back to his usual style of needless chopping and changing.

I don't know. Perhaps. Maybe he is genuinely injured but i do find the frequency of our injuries to be bizarre.

If our transfer policy is built upon selling our best player in January (and primary goal threat) presumably to a divisional rival (not good enough to attract serious Premier League interest) then we are in trouble. To begin with very few clubs at this level have the means or freedom under FFP rules to pay what we should demand for a player of Dack's importance. Secondly if we were to sell him to bring in reinforcements the damage done to the team through selling him would create more problems than it solved. I'm afraid I don't buy the FFP excuse. Last January we were in good form and on the cusp of the play-offs. We refused to add any depth to a weak defence and paid the penalty, going on an atrocious run of form that almost saw us dragged into a relegation battle. If there was one lesson to take from last season it was that we needed more depth in defence to weather injuries and suspensions. Mowbray appeared to have accepted that in March/April when he spoke to the fans meeting. Then he went and spent £5 million on Gallagher whilst not investing in defensive signings. He failed in the summer by signing Cunningham and Tosin on loan whilst allowing several defenders to go out. We've just about managed through to now despite losing Cunningham for the season although Lenihan, Tosin and Williams have all spent several weeks out with numerous injuries already. With Tosin mysteriously injured again and Williams not great an injury now could derail the entire season. Despite the disappointment of the last couple of games we are still in a good position and perhaps a couple of good additions away from kicking on in the 2nd half of the season, whilst adding nobody and ending up with injuries to defenders could completely derail us again. If January isn't a time to invest and add depth with us on a decent unbeaten run and within a few points of 3rd and 4th then there will never be a good time.